Spiral-pipe machine



Jan. e, 1931. F L. wlLUAMS 1,788,220

SPIRAL PIPE MACHINE Filed Deo. l5, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l 1111/ 111/ 111/111/ Il /l/I 1111/1/ [lll/1in B Y WT ORNEY.

y l'mEBIOI L. WILLIAMS, 0F DENVEByCOLOBLD Patented Jan. e, 1931 UNI-TED! ,Sms om@ I ING mL COMPANY, F-HIDDLETOWN, OHIO, ACOBIVORATION 0l' OHIO alunni-:ernia: MACHINE animaba luca December 1s,-1oa4. `14n-mi no. 751mm..

This invention relates kto a device for wrapping a continuous strip of sheet metall ,in the orm of a closed spiral and continuously vveld-l ing the abutting edges together s o as to form a s irally welded sheet metal'pi'pe. i Y

'Flic principal objectof'the invention is to provide a machine which will accomplish the above ina highly ecient manner andwhich ent from the following description; k l

' tion.

' sheet metal may In the following detailed'description'of the inventibnreference is had to the accompany.;

1n drawing which forms-'a part hereof. Lie numeralsl refer tollike artsin` all views of thedr/awing andthroug out the descrip- Inthedrawing: i.

Y Fig. 1 is a plan viewof the machine with the welding ap aratus removed.`

Fig.` 2 is a s1 `e elevation ofthe vmachine with the welding apparatus in place.

Fig. 3is -a detallcross section on an enlar d scale, taken on `the line 3 3, Fig. 1.

l'gieg. 4 is a longitudinal section through the former of the machine, tairen 'on the line 44,Fig. 3. y n

Fi 5 is a detail cross section through 'what will hereinafter designated `*the* buckle plates. y The machine comprises an j angularly placed former 10 into which a strip 'of sheet metal 11 is forced by a pair of rolls 12 and 13 and from which the strip emerges inthe form of a 'closed iral or pipe 14. n Therolls 12anp13 arehe din a suitableI frame 15, the upper roll 12 being vertically `adjustable therein so'that various fgauges of be accommodate` between rthe rolls. Clamp 'screws 416 are carried in the frame 1,5 and are used to clamp the upper roll "12 downward against the strip of sheet seremos; "ro man metal 11l which passes betweenthe two-rolls.

Before entering the rolls, the Strip 11 passes over a lreceiving platform 17 jupon which guides 18 are arranged to contact with the two` edges `of the sheet. These guides 18 nare very lmportant since they vretain the sheet 11 atthe `proper angle to enter the former 10 andany play or movement here results` in anv open seam on the spiral. The

guides 18 are secured to the receiving platorm vin slotted openings 19 so that their spaced-apart distance may be varied tosuit various ywidths of sheets. Any other adjust-V able spacing means would, however, be within the `spirit of the invention.

The former 10 comprises an outer cylinder 20, provided with an opening 21` for the en-k trance ofthe strip 11, and an inner spacedapart cylinder 22.4 The two cylinders are secured together at their one extremity by a space'between' the cylinders 20` and 22 is such as to allow free passage ofthe strip 11. ,The inner ,cylinder serves. .simply to prevent wrinklin or buckling of the sheet.

ysuitable bolt 23 sind ya spacer ring 24. The.

Carrie atthe free end of the outer cylin- Y der 2O is alformer 'ring 25.,y The lformer is cast of'cast iron or similar material and the outer `cylinder will yvearto. a larger diameter from the constant friction.- The formerring 25 `is madeto the exact `diameter of the pipe desired and is `made of'tool steel or other hardA material so that it will resist'wear. `It can be easily replaced',- however, when suicient wear occurs. The former ring serves to contract the'spiral -to the exact ydiameter as it emerges lfrom kthe former.

"Lugs 26 are cast on` the outerfcylindery for .bolti'ng the former 10 toa former platform 27 carried by the frame 15. Bolts 28,are

passed through the lugs 26 into slotted o nings 29 in the former'platform 27. ese v openings 2,9 allow the angle of the former` to be adjusted to`4suit various diameters of pipe and widths of sheet. w I

To prevent buckling of the 11 Q tween the rolls and the former, spaced-apart buckle plates 30 and.31, illustrated inFig. 5,v

are employed. The plates 30 and 31 are held spaced a distance substantiall equal to the gauge of the strip l1 by suitalile spacers 32. The buckle plates are supported at their one extremity on the frame 15 and at their other extremity on the lug 33 on the former 10.

Should it be desired to roll pipe of different diameter, a former of a different diameter is substituted for the former 10. The former platform 27 is carried on suitable sup orting ars 34. These are replaced by bars o? a suitable height to suit the newly installed former so that the receiving slot 21 of the former will be brought into alignment with strip 11. The rolls 12 and 13 carry similar s ur gears 35 which are driven through suita le speed reduction gears 36 from any desired power source. Y

Mounted above the former 10 isl an automatic arc welding machine, designated in its entirety by the numeral 37. The welding machine per se forms no part of the present invention and may be one of the many automatic arc weldin heads which are at present on the market. riefly, the welding machine 37 comprises a motor 38 which is arranged, through a train of gears 39, to feed a wire of welding metal 40 through a tube 41 to the` work. An electric arc is formed between the welding metal andthe work which fuses the welding metal and the Work into a homogeneous whole. y

The current feeding to the arc controls the speed of the motor 38 so that the arc will be automatically adjusted and should it become extinguished the motor will contact the weld* ing metal and work so as to remake the arc.

The' welding machine 37 is carried on a standard 42 orin any other suitable manner so that the arc will form directly over the contacting edges of the spiral as they emerge from the former ring 25.

To prevent the arc from burning through the metal of the pipe and to retain a smooth interior an internal wheel 43 is carried on the extremity of the inner cylinder 22 of the former 10. The wheel 43? is vcarried on an axle 44 which travels in a slot 45 in the end of cylinder 22. A spring 46 is arranged to constantly press the axle 44 upward and hold the wheel 43 firmly and constantly against the interior of the pipe. The wheel 43 may be made entirely of copper or be provided with a copper tread 47 so as to radiate the heat quickly away from the point l opposite the weld.v The wheel 43 is arranged so as to contact with interior of pipe directly under the welding wire 40. The axis ofthe wheel 43 is parallel to the axis of theV former. This causes the pipe seam to travel across the wheel at an angle which removes the tendency of arc to wear a groove in the Wheel. The wheel 43 is of a smaller diameter than the interior of the ipe 14 and does not contact with the lower lnside face.`

Oil cups 50 are provided on the external cylinder 2O of the former 10 to supply lubricant to the strip 11 as it passes through the former.-

The drive shaft of the machine is shown at 51. This may be attached to a suitable electric motor Afor driving the machine. This motor should be so connected that the arc current will control the motor current so that if the arc breaks the entire mechanism will come to rest so as to prevent a gap in the welded seam. Such a connection is of common practice in present automatic welding machines and need not be described in detail here.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired and understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what l claim and desireto secure by Letters Patent 1s:

1. A machine for rolling a metal strip into a closed'spiral comprising: anvopen ended cylinder, said cylinder being provided with a tangentl arranged opening to receive said strip; ro ls yarranged to force said strip into said opening at an angle to the axis of said cylinder so that it will emerge `from said open A end in a spiral; and means arranged to force said spiral inwardly from said cylinder so as to contract said spiral to the desired diameter as it emerges.

2. A machine for rolling a metal strip into a closed spiral com risin an open ended cylinder; said cylin er being provided with a tangently arranged opening to receive said stri rolls arranged to force said stri into said) opening at an angle to the axis o said cylinder so that it will emerge from said open end in a spiral; and means arran ed to force said spiral inwardly from said cy inder so as to contract said spiral to the desired diameter as it emerges, said latter means comprising: a former ring adapted to surround and extend inwardly from said open end.

3. A machine for rolling a metal stri into a closed spiral comprising: an open en ed cylinder; said cylinder being provided with a tangent-ly arranged opening to receive said strip; rolls arranged to force said strip into said openin at an angle to theaxis of said cylinder so t at it will emerge from said open end in a spiral; means arranged to force said spiral inwardly from said cylinder so as to contract said spiral to the desired diameter as it emerges, said latter means comprising: a former ring adapted to'surround and extend inwardly from said open end; and means for supporting an electric arc over the ed es of said tube after they pass said contracting means.

4. In a machine for formin a closed spiral of a strip 'of sheet metal and aving rolls ar- 

